Sono entrati anche gli indiani nel capitale di Piaggio. Un terzo agli arabi, un terzo agli indiani e un terzo a Ferrari/Di Mase.
News di qualche settimana fa, interessanti i dati di produzione del 180.
"Gli indiani di Tata sbarcano nel capitale di Piaggio Aero Industries, la società aeronautica ligure. Attraverso il braccio britannico Tata Limited, il gruppo indiano ha acquisito un terzo del capitale di Piaggio, acquistando azioni di vecchia e nuova emissione. Il valore dell'investimento non è stato divulgato. Piaggio aveva realizzato un’operazione simile nel 2006, quando la finanziaria degli Emirati Arabi Mubadala aveva acquistato circa il 35% della società, con le famiglie Di Mase e Ferrari che si erano attestate al 55%, e azionisti minori al 10%. Evidentemente sono Di Mase e Ferrari ad aver fatto spazio al nuovo azionista. Oggi infatti il capitale di Piaggio è ripartito tra tre azionisti paritetici. Ciascuno ha diritto di nominare tre dei nove membri che costituiscono il board ed uno dei tre membri del comitato esecutivo. Gli accordi di governance garantiscono però che management e gestione rimangono italiani.
L’ingresso di Tata è ufficialmente finalizzato a consentire la crescita di Piaggio in India, ma è anche probabile sia connessa al progetto di lanciare lo sviluppo di un nuovo business jet, una iniziativa da 1 miliardo di dollari. Piaggio ha chiuso il 2007 con un fatturato di 179 milioni e prevede di arrivare a 227 milioni nel 2009, grazie all'incremento della produzione del suo P-180. "
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Piaggio Aero Industries' aspirations to develop a new business jet are on firmer footing today as the Italian company announced it has further financial backing from a new investor.
India's Tata Group, through its U.K. unit, has bought into the aircraft maker by purchasing existing shares and taking some made available through the issuance of new ones. It gives the firm a roughly 33% stake the in business aircraft maker. The deal, already approved by European regulators, makes the company effectively an equal partner alongside Mubadala, the United Arab Emirates-based investment company, and a shareholder group comprising the Ferrai and the di Mase families. The price of the deal has not been disclosed.
The board composition reflects the new power sharing agreement, with each shareholder having three positions. Each partner also gets to name a member of the executive management committee.
Day to day operations remain with the Italian management team, something enshrined in the governance agreement.
Piaggio is hoping to leverage the additional capital as well as strong business activities to help finance its roughly $1 billion effort to develop a business jet -- a long discussed ambition that has been short of the needed financing.
Tata's involvement also should provide Piaggio access to the Indian market.
The Italian aircraft maker has seen strong aircraft sales on its P180 Avanti II, partly boosted by the recent spike in oil prices that have made the twin-engine turboprop more attractive than some jet rivals. The in-service fleet has now reached 161 aircraft, with a backlog of 106 Avanti II worth around $700 million. Production so far has reached 20 aircraft this year, with a target of handing over 10 more aircraft before year end. The goal is to boost output to 38 aircraft next year. The company is preparing the move to a new production facility.
A statement issued by Piaggio last week said the "industrial expertise" residing within the Tata companies "will strengthen growth plans, which include establishing a strong market presence in India, where the government is targeting establishment of 500 fully operational airports by 2020, as compared to less than 100 at present." Piero Ferrari, chairman of Piaggio Aero Industries, said the company was honored by Tata's decision to invest in it. "We are heavily engaged in strategic planning for the development of the company," he said, adding, "The future for Piaggio Aero is bright and with the support of world-class investors and strategic partners like Mubadala Development Company and Tata Limited, I'm confident we can realize our full potential." Officials are holding firm to a 2008 revenue projection of 220 million euros, up from 179 million euros last year. (aviation week)